Business Centre Manager
Indexed description
access control, and an intelligent BMS — and we expect its manager to use it.
Role Overview
We are looking for a hands-on, decisive Business Centre Manager to own our new business center end-to-end: opening readiness, pre-leasing, daily operations, tenant experience, and the center’s P&L. You are the single point of accountability for filling 125+ offices and
running the whole floor profitably. This is an ownership role, not a figurehead role. We need someone who makes routine decisions — pricing within agreed bands, vendor escalations, tenant disputes, staff scheduling — and reports after, not someone who escalates and waits. If a prospect wants to tour at 7 pm, you are there. If the AC fails on a Sunday, you own the fix.
Note: This role does not include construction or fit-out management (handled by the project team until handover) or marketing production (delivered by the group’s central marketing team under a service agreement). Cleaning and pest control are fully outsourced under
contract.
Key Responsibilities
- Launch Readiness (Pre-Opening)
- Own the opening-readiness plan for a November 2026 launch: licensing steps (trade license activity, Ejari, DED inspection), operational SOPs, and the day-one checklist.
- Set the fee schedule and agreement templates with group legal: private offices, meeting rooms, recording studio, and virtual-office products.
- Run operational snagging and handover from the fit-out project team — sign off door access, HVAC comfort settings, and IT readiness for all 125+ offices.
- Contract and mobilize vendors: cleaning and pest control (contracted provider), IT/network support, F&B partner, and consumables supply.
- Hire and train the opening team — one sales executive and 2–3 front-of-house staff — on a 30-day pre-opening training plan.
- Pre-Leasing & Occupancy
- Own the occupancy ramp: build a reservation pipeline before opening, convert it to signed agreements from day one, and reach break-even occupancy (60–70%) within the first two quarters.
- Personally run tours and close office deals — this is a selling Centre Manager role, with one sales executive in support.
- Design pre-opening reservation offers (founding-tenant terms, refundable deposits) with group legal so commitments are secured before final inspections complete.
- Build the broker channel: onboard commercial brokers, set commission terms, and keep inventory and pricing current.
- Own pricing within agreed bands — office rates, renewals, meeting-room and studio rates — and report movements after.
- Work the daily leads delivered by the group’s central marketing team; keep CRM data clean and forecast occupancy monthly.
- Operations & Tenant Experience
- Run daily operations of a 23,700 sq ft floor with 125+ offices: front desk, mail handling, meeting rooms, recording studio, and tenant onboarding/offboarding.
- Lead the front-of-house team (2–3 staff): scheduling, service standards, and full-week coverage — the front desk also dispatches facilities tickets to vendors.
- Own vendor SLAs — cleaning/pest control (contracted provider), IT/network, F&B, and maintenance — and renegotiate when performance or price slips.
- Resolve tenant escalations end-to-end: access control, comfort (HVAC/BMS), and billing disputes — closed, not forwarded.
- Keep the center audit-ready: tenant Ejari registrations, visa-quota documentation, and civil defense/building compliance.
- Protect retention: run renewals ahead of expiry, measure tenant satisfaction, and intervene before an office empties.
- P&L & Reporting
- Own the center’s P&L: revenue, cost control, and monthly management reporting to the group.
- Run collections to zero aged debt — including PDC management and deposit handling.
- Control operating costs against budget; approve spend within delegated authority and report after.
- Administer the intercompany service agreements (central marketing fee, shared services) and challenge charges that do not deliver.
- Report a monthly occupancy / revenue / pipeline pack to the Founder, flagging risks early — not after they land.
- 5+ years running a serviced-office / business center, flex-workspace, hotel, or multi-tenant property operation — at least 2 years in charge of a site or center, UAE experience required.
- Launch experience: you have opened a center, branch, hotel, or site and carried it from pre-opening to stabilization.
- Proven personal B2B sales record — you have toured and closed clients yourself, not only managed sellers. Be ready to name the numbers.
- Team leadership: hired, trained, and managed a front-line team of 3+.
- Working knowledge of Dubai licensing: DED/DET trade licenses, Ejari, and business-center regulatory requirements.
- Decisive operator — you make calls inside your remit and report after. We will reference-check this with previous managers.
- AI tools used daily (ChatGPT, Claude, or similar). Not optional in 2026.
- Fluent English; UAE residency or able to start in Dubai within 60 days.
- Background at a flex-workspace operator (IWG/Regus, Servcorp, The Executive Centre, or a Dubai business center).
- Hands-on with workspace platforms (Nexudus, OfficeRnD, Optix) and CRM pipeline management.
- Experience selling company-setup products: virtual offices, Ejari packages, license-registration clients.
- Arabic or Russian in addition to English.
- UAE university graduate (UOWD, AUD, AUS, Heriot-Watt Dubai, NYU AD, Khalifa, or similar).
- Full ownership of a brand-new 125+ office flagship business center — a full floor at i-Rise Tower — launch it, fill it, run it.
- Salary plus a performance incentive tied to occupancy and revenue milestones.
- Direct, weekly access to the Founder — decisions get made, not queued.
- Professional development support. 6-month probation per UAE Labour Law. UAE employment visa sponsored.
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